Improvement in skates



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. J. GIBSON, OF VOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SKATES.

Spe'cication. forming part of Letters Patent No. 31,797, dated March 26,1861.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, A. J. GIBSON, of lVorcester, in the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Skates; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull', clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure l is a side elevation of the improved skate, representingthe back part of the same in two positions. Fig. 2 is a bottom view ofFig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothiigures.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A represent, respectively, the joint and rear parts of the skate-iron,which are made as wide as may be desired and as thick" as skate-ironsusually are. The curve of these irons when put together may also be madeas fancy may dictate. There may be a groove made in the bottom of theseirons, extending from front to rear thereof. This skate-iron maytherefore be made in every respect, excepting the joint to behereinafter explained, like common skate-irons. These irons A A are puttogether by a rule-joint B, with a strong riveted pin ce passingtransversely through the center of the joint. The joint is made byforming circular enlargements on the meeting ends of the irons, whichare each half as thick as the main portions of the irons. These circularportions are lapped together with the pin a, which allows them to movefreely. The projecting portions of this rulejoint are on the upper edgeof the skate-iron, leavin g the lower edge continuous from front torear.

C O represent a divided footestand, which is secured to the front andback portions A Al of the skate-iron by studs or standards b b b bif orin any other suitable manner. This divided foot-stand represented in thedrawings is made of wood and shaped to suit the fancy. The two portionsO O do not meet, but have a space over the joint'B sufiicient to allow afree movement of this joint. Instead of having an elevatedfoot-stand,the irons A A may be made wider and the divided stock securedimmediately to the irons, or instead of the wooden stock or theA dividedstock a thin steel plate may be employed, which will yield andaccommodate itself to the motions of the foot, or two sti metal platesmaybe substituted for the wooden pieces C C. The joint in the irons maybe made directly under the ball of the foot or at any other desiredpoint between the heel and toe.

I do not claim, broadly, the dividing of the skate-runner into twoparts, for I am aware thatthis is shown in Letters Patent No. 28,984,

bility of the hinge movement; but when the runners are so made that theywill separate when the joint is moved, as in the patent recited, theback end of the front skatewill cut into the ice and impede the user andcause liability to fall upon the ice. this is because in the act ofbending the foot the rear skate-iron withdraws its support from thefrontiron, and the heel thereof, being thus left unsupported, drops intothe ice; but in my improvement the two skate-irons support each other,no matter what their relative angle may happen to be in respect to eachother.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent as an improved article of manufacture- A skate that hasits runner jointed in the peculiar manner herein shown and described andotherwise made as set forth.

A. J. GIBSON.

Witnesses:

APPLEToN D ADMUN, J. W. BALDWIN, G. F. ,PENNIMAN The reason ofA

